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Post by ianpowolny on May 20, 2017 20:50:39 GMT
My wife, Etta to some of you, and I are quite comfortable sailing up to 36 hours non-stop. We've been across St Georges Channel to St Mary's and crossed Biscay twice. What changes/alterations do we need to sail for 5 days non-stop - Bay of Cadiz to Madiera? We spent the last 3 years sailing slowly from the west coast of Scotland to the Algarve. We have a spare main and hank on jib, plenty of water (600lts) and 200 lts of diesel. For battery charging we just use the engine. Do you switch off your plotter to save battery? What's in the "You don't know, what you don't know" box?
Thanks Ian
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Post by hoppy on May 21, 2017 0:28:50 GMT
Do you carry your spare main all the time? Sounds a bit overkill to me.
I'm inclined to think that you are ready as is. When we did our 4.5 day delivery from Sydney to Melbourne I added 2 x20l jerry cans of diesel just so we could motor whenever we were not sailing fast enough.
I left my plotter on because of the AIS and at night the radar.
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Post by vasko on May 21, 2017 4:33:21 GMT
My view is - make sure you have enough fuel on board to cover the full distance on engine is need to and keep your speed to > 5kts and you should ready althouth 500-600w solard on top of your arch a easy to iinstall and will be a great addition.
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Post by ianpowolny on May 21, 2017 6:21:41 GMT
Do you carry your spare main all the time? Sounds a bit overkill to me. We are in a different port each winter as we travel south so have to carry everything with us including all the winter storage gear. Each winter I remove the 'new' main from the mast and store it below decks. To prevent damage to the foil and stop being a noisy neighbour I reinstall the old main. It's amazing how noisy an in-mast foil can be without a sail and I have assumed that every small bang damages the foil in some way. Ian |
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Post by jdl01 on May 30, 2017 15:31:42 GMT
Hi Ian,
I would keep your instrument system up and running full time but try to limit the draw from the fridge - low setting and open it as seldom as possible. I agree with vasko that solar panels would be a big help. Also minimize your use of autopilot and forced air heater if you have one. If your electrical draw is modest, you will need to run your engine less and stretch the fuel longer. -Jim
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Post by so36idavid on May 31, 2017 6:01:11 GMT
You might want to invite a crew member along for your first longer passage. Two people on alternating watches gets fatiguing after 36 hrs. Having an extra hand to stand watch makes a massive difference. We usually do 2 hrs on and 4 off with some tricks in the schedule to rotate the watches and have a different person cook dinner each night. I'd be happy to share my watch rotation schedule with you if you're interested.
Having said all of that, I believe that if you can do 36 hrs you can do 36 days. Be diligent on weather routing, cook a few meals beforehand and go sailing.
David
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Post by MickeyB on May 31, 2017 6:30:46 GMT
Bar the obvious water/fuel/food items - the one thing I really use VERY heavily is my autohelm.
If you loose or break that and are far away, you will be amazed at how fed up you become always steering.
Ours broke leaving Sicily to Malta (only 10 hours) and I was in a foul mood after 9 hours. The sea and wind didn't allow a good workaround system.
Mike
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Post by rxc on Jun 2, 2017 21:01:45 GMT
A windmill and solar panels will keep your batteries well charged down in the tradewind zone. I would not turn off the chartplotter, and would definitely run the radar at night. It really does not take much power, and can be amusing to watch as the thunderstorms dance around you. Jerry jugs with extra fuel are a good idea, unless you are a real sailor and don't mind sitting becalmed or moving along at 2 kts for a few days. I would personally like to have have a Code 0 or an asymmetrical spinnaker, but can't get my wife to approve the purchase. She does not like large sails.
You mention that you roll in the old main during the winter, to keep the foil from slapping. We had this problem the first year we took down the main, and discovered that you can eliminate the slap by hoisting the empty halliard about 2/3 way up the mast, and "furling" the halliard and the downhaul line that you attach to the halliard. They will wrap around the foil, and then you pull the downhaul taut to pull the foil against the slot. Slapping stopped.
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Post by alenka on Jul 18, 2017 21:37:33 GMT
Ian,
Really think you will not look back once you add solar panels. We run our fridge 24/7 and don't think twice about the nav kit or even charging our Torqedo outboard battery. We find the biggest draw on power are those old G12 halogen bulbs.
After shopping around we had a SS gantry made and fitted for a cost of €350. First quote we got was €1,500! We have just two panels that amount to less than 300 watts but they do the job just fine. They were quite expensive Swiss made things which most people down here swear by but I honestly don't know if the cheaper ones are inferior.... Maybe just more effected by shadows.
We never turn off our nav kit on passage. If we turned off the chart plotter we'd lose the autopilot and that would lead quick sharp to mutiny. There is of course a night setting on chart plotters thats drops the illumination way down and uses less juice. You only have to turn down the brightness on an iPhone to realise just how much battery is saved.
Think you may also find that a solar panel charging regime is kind to both your batteries and engine.
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Post by ianpowolny on Jul 19, 2017 9:23:14 GMT
Alenka,
Thanks for the reply. We've had so many repairs this season we've put Affinity on the hard. We'll get back later in the year but to add solar not to sail.
We've decided on a BenQ 330w panel and Votronic MPP 350 Duo Digital (marine). We added new batteries and now have 568ah. Great for being at anchor.
Can you add more to your profile to show what boat you have and where your based.
Thanks Ian
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Post by alenka on Jul 28, 2017 21:52:49 GMT
Ian,
Details added as requested. We are generally to be found somewhere in the Ionian during the summer months, although having said that the Pelopes are looking a better option. The Ionian is unbelievably busy this year with lots of boats giving up on Turkey and resettling here. Some yards are now already fully booked for winter haul out.
The current big downside is the lack of parking places which forces people to give up sailing mid afternoon and dash into the nearest mooring.
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Post by zofiasailing on Oct 28, 2017 4:09:10 GMT
Our girl, Sun Odyssey 42 DS, was really only equipped as a coastal cruiser, float around the Med type vessel. Fuel 127L + 365L water across 2 tanks. Hopeless really for any serious expeditions but we’ve made it work; off-shore island hopping for a month at a time, several 500nm trips and more recently a 1,000nm trip including a 3 day remote area stopover.
Equipment add-ons include Gerry Jugs secured to S/S rods between stanchions. We cary extra Diesel and ULP. Spare Gas bottle (2x4kg insufficient for trips over 6 weeks). Honda 2Kva generator. We stopped carrying extra water in Gerry Jugs and upgraded to a Rainman de-salinator and semi-installed it into stern lazerette. (Helps to travel lighter). We also have an Engels 12v fridge set as a freezer (secured under salon table). All of these have extended our range and capacity to travel long distances, stay away from marinas and resources.
We have solar panels but only sufficient to run the fridge during the day when it’s sunny. Standing still we are digging into the battery bank to the tune of 40-60amps per day. The numbers are the numbers and we currently need to charge via motors or our trusty Honda 2kva generator for 1-2 hours daily. We only have a 40amp regulator so the Honda is not at max efficiency but we figure that our realistic cruising life will not put us at a financial gain to upgrade the regulator. While ULP remains a fairly constant cost we will stick with current regime although upgrading the solar panels is our current project.
At sea our hourly consumption jumps from 5amps to 12. We consider ALL instruments essentialautopilot, Tridat, radar, AIS, VHF, satellite tracker. We do run the generator at sea if necessary. Our only concession is setting the autopilot on a course heading rather than Go-To- Way-Point as this works the autohelm less.
We travel shorthanded. Just the 2 of us. Every crew finds a rhythm that suits but for us we don’t have any rigid 3/4 hrs on/off regimes. We put the ‘boat to bed’ at dusk. We are happy to drop speed to 5kts overnight and sail with only the Genoa (our workhorse) overnight. Skipper goes below after supper from 8-12 or 1am. I am the night owl and have no difficulty staying up. We then swap and I sleep til dawn. Skipper has another short rest after breakfast then we take rests/naps as required during the day. It won’t work for everyone and of course there are some hectic times when this can’t be sustained but we’ve found it very satisfactory over 10,000+ nm of ocean travel.
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Post by chuckr on Nov 2, 2017 8:02:24 GMT
Ian a couple of things - first is the hardware - and yea solar panels work great - in crossing the atlantic we had 3- 400w - and we did not run the engine for power (6 Trojan t105 batteries is house bank) - beyond that the boat side is good if I recall your talking about your boat - and in our crossing and all long distance runs we run the plotter and auto pilot 24/7 - they never go off --
the second is you and Henrietta - we sailed across the pond with a 2 handed crew and it took 21 days and we made some early mistakes that cost us 2 days - we sailed 5 days across the Caribbean - we did 5 days from Azores to Portugal - all with a 2 person crew - - it is really an issue of psychological issue of resting and eating - when we did a 3 day sail last year from Russia to Ukraine we knew what we had to do and when we had to rest - the first night out is the toughest as one party or the other can not sleep well when they are suppose to but you just get a lot of rest and by the second day it becomes a bit easier - by the 3-4th day you are into the routine - but getting rest - a bit here a bit there is the key -- OH and eating well not snacks but real food - very important
the third and very important is where are you going to get you weather forecasts from? need a source - we download weather - the girbs - 2 x a day as the gribs are updated twice a day -
just our thoughts |
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Post by ianpowolny on Nov 5, 2017 14:46:27 GMT
Folks,
Thanks for all the input. The solar panel is in the garage. The MPPT and solar computer have arrived. I have all the bolts and RSB hydraulic clamps that are sized to fit the arch and give a threaded up-stand to attach the aluminium box sections. I'm awaiting delivery of the box section.
I'll get some photos once the panel is fitted to Affinity.
Ian
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Post by MalcolmP on Nov 6, 2017 15:04:47 GMT
Folks, Thanks for all the input. The solar panel is in the garage. The MPPT and solar computer have arrived. I have all the bolts and RSB hydraulic clamps that are sized to fit the arch and give a threaded up-stand to attach the aluminium box sections. I'm awaiting delivery of the box section. I'll get some photos once the panel is fitted to Affinity. Ian How do you plan to fix the brackets/clamps to the rear of the panel? Can you bolt or rivet to the panel alloy frame? Thx |
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Post by ianpowolny on Nov 13, 2017 16:45:31 GMT
Malcolm,
The panel has 4 holes for M8 bolts. I've bought two pieces of 30 x 20 x 2mm aluminium box section (to be anodised once drilled.) I'll drill and bolt the box section to the solar panel frame. I can then drill the box section M6 x 8 for the extended length bolts coming through the RSB clamps.
Will post a photo once the panel is in place.
Ian
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Post by vasko on Nov 13, 2017 18:21:55 GMT
Malcolm, The panel has 4 holes for M8 bolts. I've bought two pieces of 30 x 20 x 2mm aluminium box section (to be anodised once drilled.) I'll drill and bolt the box section to the solar panel frame. I can then drill the box section M6 x 8 for the extended length bolts coming through the RSB clamps. Will post a photo once the panel is in place. Ian Try to galvanic issolate the different metal material as best as possible (e.g iron, ss, , alu...) where not possible coat with the sh*t smell gelly... forgot the name... if you have a galvanized clamps or ss 308 - no issue just remember to spray with car clear varnish spray... |
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Post by MalcolmP on Nov 13, 2017 18:24:22 GMT
Malcolm, The panel has 4 holes for M8 bolts. I've bought two pieces of 30 x 20 x 2mm aluminium box section (to be anodised once drilled.) I'll drill and bolt the box section to the solar panel frame. I can then drill the box section M6 x 8 for the extended length bolts coming through the RSB clamps. Will post a photo once the panel is in place. Ian Sounds good Ian. Look forward to seeing how you get on. |
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Post by ianpowolny on Nov 13, 2017 21:26:06 GMT
Try to galvanic issolate the different metal material as best as possible (e.g iron, ss, , alu...) where not possible coat with the sh*t smell gelly... forgot the name... if you have a galvanized clamps or ss 308 - no issue just remember to spray with car clear varnish spray... Yes I have nylon washers as part of the set up. |
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